Best Small-Town Getaways

From mountain haven to coastal paradise, these 17 postcard-perfect towns all make you feel welcome—for a weekend or a lifetime.

Sometimes you want to get away from it all, and these small towns are the perfect places for weekend getaways. Look no further for Southern vacation ideas. You’ll find everything from beautiful beaches tucked near the coast to fine dining on the edge of a forest. Here are our picks for the best small-town getaways. You may not be sure how to pronounce it, but Natchitoches, Louisiana, is the state’s oldest town and one of our favorite weekend getaways. Relax by the river, and then spend a night listening to the blues in Greenwood, Mississippi. Take a steam bath at Eureka Springs, watch the races in Georgetown, Kentucky, or enjoy a glass of wine in Ste. Genevieve, Missouri. You’ll love weekend getaways to every one of these beautiful small towns. So when you begin to think about vacation ideas, think small: small towns, that is, because these weekend getaways will leave you wishing you could stay.